Main Avenue Underpass

CLEVELAND, OHIO

Lake Effect was a finalist in an international design competition to reconceive the area underneath the Main Avenue Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio. The approach, taken jointly by Balmori Associates, Tillet Associates, and artist Stacy Levy, was to take on specific conditions of the site and work with them to increase the site’s human use and enjoyment. One of these conditions is that of the wind always blowing under the bridge, an effect of the proximity to Lake Erie and the bridge’s channeling effect. Another is that of the darkness under the bridge particularly at the intersection of Ninth and Main Streets. The third condition is that of the great fields of paving, which impart to the site its charac­ter of being a place only for cars, not people. Theodore Hoerr was Principal at Balmori while leading the design of this project. Images courtesy of Balmori.